Airbus plans to outsource an estimated $3.5 billion worth of work on its new mid-sized jet in a bid to cut development costs, the Financial Times reported today.
Unnamed senior executives at the aircraft maker told the newspaper that Airbus hoped to raise the proportion of outsourcing on the project to near 50 per cent from 30 per cent.
EADS, the European aerospace group, is expected to decide in the coming weeks whether to continue with the multibillion dollar project, dubbed A350XWB, according to the FT.
The future of Airbus has been clouded by the announcement of costly delays to its flagship A380 superjumbo programme and doubts about whether it can launch the A350XWB.